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450 jobs at Londonderry site?

By APRIL GUILMETUnion Leader Correspondent

LONDONDERRY — At least one major company has approached the town with plans to build a large distribution facility, create up to 450 jobs and start the long-awaited development of the 1,000-acre Pettengill Road project adjacent to the new Airport Access Road.

At a meeting of state and local officials Wednesday, John Vogl, geographic information systems manager for Londonderry, noted the four-lane highway would open to development 1,000 acres north and south of the airport.

Last week, Jim Petropolis of the engineering firm Hayner/Swanson Inc., and Ryan Golmeyer of realty developers Scannell Properties shared conceptual plans for a one-story, 200,000-square-foot facility. It would include spaces for warehousing and distribution as well as a small office, along with an ample parking area, outdoor vehicle storage area and an area for parcel delivery.

Golmeyer told the Planning Board the building’s operations would primarily take place during normal business hours, though there would be some limited activity involving the sorting of outgoing packages between 7 to 11 p.m. on weeknights.

Project officials said the goal is to break ground on the project sometime this year, with the facility opening its doors sometime in fall 2014.

An official site plan has yet to go through the public hearing process, though board member Rick Brideau noted that a 200,000-square-foot facility would be roughly twice the size of the American Tire Warehouse building that opened on Jack’s Bridge Road earlier this year.

Petropolis said the property owner, listed as Ballinger Properties and Associates, would be designing the roadway, while Scannell Properties would be responsible for designing the facility.

While several board members encouraged Petropolis and Golmeyer to reveal the identity of the company hoping to set up shop on Pettengill Road, Golmeyer said he “wasn’t at liberty to divulge that information at this time.”

Petropolis said the structure would be located on a 30-acre site accessible by a 700-foot public cul-de-sac extending south from the Industrial Drive and Pettengill Road intersection.

Londonderry is awaiting word on an application for an $8.2 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant that would fully fund the construction of the proposed roadway and give more businesses incentive to set up shop. Word on the grant status is expected sometime this fall.